A Brazilian civil court has ordered a betting platform to compensate a player who lost BR217,800 over eight months, ruling that the operator failed to implement adequate responsible gambling measures.
The decision was issued in the southern state of Santa Catarina. In addition to refunding the full amount lost between June 2024 and February 2025, the operator was ordered to pay extra BR10,000 in moral damages.
According to court filings, the player developed compulsive gambling behaviour while using the platform Responsa Gamming, directing all available income towards betting in the expectation of financial returns that never materialized.
In his ruling, the judge stated that the operator failed in its duty of care by not adopting mechanisms to identify and limit harmful behavior.
“By failing to implement effective barriers such as loss limits, mechanisms to detect compulsive behaviour, clear warnings about risks and monitoring systems , the defendant acted negligently, directly contributing to the aggravation of the claimant’s financial losses,” the decision said.
The court concluded that the evidence presented was sufficient to establish the operator’s responsibility for the losses incurred on the platform.
As a result, the judge ordered full restitution of the amounts wagered, in addition to compensation for non-material damages.
The operator did not file a defense in the case and was therefore declared in default, leading the court to accept the factual claims made by the claimant as uncontested. The identity of the player was not disclosed, and the platform has not commented publicly on the ruling.
The decision adds to a growing body of Brazilian case law holding betting operators accountable for failures related to responsible gambling, including recent rulings requiring platforms to exclude a compulsive gambler from their systems.
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